


B[E]stiam

by MeetTheTank



Series: Flesh and Me[T]al [3]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Biting, F/M, Hallucinations, Power Struggle, Suspense, bloodborne refrences, little bit of eldritch nonsense, they do the fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:57:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeetTheTank/pseuds/MeetTheTank
Summary: 2B knows its wrong. She knows full well the risks and repercussions of giving into this primal urge. But fuck it. She wants this. She always has.





	1. Insight

**Author's Note:**

> Hi my name is Tank and apparently I can't just write smut. I gotta set it up with weird monsters because??????????????

"And that's the long and short of it." Operator 6O says in an uncharacteristically somber tone, "The troops deployed in the sewers and both recovery teams have disappeared. You two are the last chance for them...if they're still alive."

"Understood," 2B responds, before she closes the communication channel.

"I did a little asking around the Resistance Camp and Pascal's," 9S says while flipping through a couple holo-screens. "Apparently there have been reports of a rogue machine in the depths. Think it could have something to do with the missing androids?"

"Even if it doesn't, it means we'll have to be on our guard. More than usual."

9S nods in agreement. A vague feeling of uncertainty starts to worm its way through his gut, though the soldier part of him tries to force it down. Not only have the complex network of tunnels and pipes left by humanity not been properly mapped out, but there could be an untold number of unrecorded machine life forms lurking within. There were too many variables for 9S to feel comfortable with this operation.

However, his programmed curiosity is at odds with his discomfort. There are so many opportunities to learn and discover down in the uncharted sewers. New machines to study, a whole new maze to explore. It's both exciting and terrifying to him.

2B doesn't seem bothered by the unknowns that 9S is running through his mind. To her, this is just another job that will probably end with dead Yorha troops. That and she's very much the "figure it out as you go" type. Maybe that's why they made such a good pair.

She casts a quick glance over at 9S, who's busy making sure they have enough supplies for the mission. Typically she's the unofficial leader, but this is his specialty. They're diving into enemy territory, a scanner's main job. She's only some extra muscle.

"Okay, I think that's everything," 9S announces and disperses his screens. "Ready?"

She gives him a curt nod, "Are you?"

"Am I allowed to say I'm a little nervous?" A sly smile creeps across his face, "Or is that prohibited."

"It is." 2B can't help but smile back at him. Just a small upward quirk of the lips, but he catches it all the same.

"Oh? So you _can_ / smile!" 9S teases.

She scoffs and turns away from him, "Watch the chatter, 9S."

He throws his hands up, "Alright alright. Let's get going then."

"Lead the way."

                   

* * *

 

The pair had no trouble finding the entrance to the depths with 9S tracing the Yorha signals. In retrospect, it wouldn't have been hard to find without tracing anything, seeing as it's nothing but a massive hole in the earth decorated with machine and android corpses. Whether nailed to the stone or impaled on crude rebar pikes, it was an unceremonious end to machine and android alike. They frame the mouth of the cavern in a way that reminds 9S of the teeth of some great beast. It almost seems...alive.  The way some of the fresher bodies drip with various fluids only adds to his analogy.

"Well..." 9S says, swallowing hard, "Whatever lives here definitely doesn't want visitors."

He commands Pod 153 to scan the android corpses for the Yorha signals they're searching for. Unfortunately, the bodies are those of long dead Resistance members and Yorha troops. He records their data and location for the recovery teams regardless.

"It'd be too easy if our missing androids were right out here." He says to himself. "Just our luck, huh 2B."

He prepares for her to chide him, but gets nothing in response. When he looks over his shoulder in confusion, he sees her staring intently off to the side. She holds Virtuous Contract in her iron grip but isn't in her typical battle stance. 9S follows her gaze to see a lone machine dragging the corpse of a larger machine towards them.

"AAH!" The little machine shrieks, once it takes notice of them "NO! LEAVE! BAD PLACE! BAD!"

It hobbles over, abandoning its haul and waving its thin arms at them, "STUPID ANDROIDS!! DON'T YOU SEE THE WARNINGS I MADE?!"

"Huh?" 9S lowers his own sword, "You did all this?"

"YES! FIND BODIES TO SCARE AWAY! BROKEN MACHINE LIVES THERE. TAKES EYES. VERY BAD!"

"What do you mean it...takes eyes?" 2B asks the shouting machine.

"TAKES EYES, STUPID ANDROID! LIVES IN SEWERS AND TAKES EYES!"

Though cryptic, the machine's words do strike a bit of fear in 9S. He hadn't heard of a machine that only collects certain parts of androids and machines. Sure there was the singing machine in the amusement park they had seen, but that one took the whole corpse. Why in the world would a machine want only eyes?

The way the small biped in front of them is screaming and babbling at him and 2B means that it's at least heard of whatever's in there before. Though it doesn't seem too keen on sharing information other than "it's dangerous." 

9S puts a hand on 2B's shoulder and tugs her in the direction of the cave, "Come on, 2B. This guy's clearly missing a few screws. We can handle whatever's in there."

"Right." She responds and sheaths her sword.

"STUPID ANDROIDS ARE GOING TO DIE!" The machine screams at them as the pair enter the dripping maw of the cave entrance.

Past the grim warnings out front, for all 9S could see, it was a completely natural cave. No signs of blasting or boring from any source, machine or otherwise. A small stream leads from deeper within out to the entrance, and moisture drops from barely formed stalactites. The air even in the entryway is humid and thick to the point where both androids begin to sweat lightly.

The Pods illuminate the cave with their admittedly primitive lighting feature, but it's welcome nonetheless. Going deep underground cuts them off from the satellite maps, and sonar can only get them so far. They'll have to rely on 9S' navigational abilities to keep on their path. It's easier said than done, however. The natural cave system alone is complex, let alone the man made and unnatural structures they'd be encountering down here.

About five miles down they find their first body, crushed under a pile of rubble. Only their upper body was still intact, the rest was flattened beyond any repair. Their fingers were partially buried in the earth in a panicked attempt to free themselves. Part of the ground underneath them was darker than the rest, where they had bled to death most likely.

"Yeesh..." 9S mutters to himself, "What a terrible way to go. Trapped alone just waiting to die..."

He forces that line of thought away with a shudder before his nerves get the better of him. "I'm going to hack into them and see if they have any information left on our targets, or whatever's living down here." He says with a hint of trepidation.

"Alright, I'll cover you," 2B states, taking a defensive position behind him.

9S sits cross legged in front of the corpse. It's a bit unnerving to him, having the lifeless optics stare back at him, but a quick look back at 2B helps him regain his composure. If only a little.

"Okay, hacking in."

With no systems online, accessing the dead android's data is pathetically easy. However, this android, an older Resistance member judging by their ID code, had been dead for quite a while now. There are huge gaps in their memory data from time alone, and more from the damage they've taken. The stark white of their hacking space crumbles away into the darkness around him. 9S scours through the fading memory space as fast as he can, looking for the dead unit's last memory. Or something close to it at least.

He finds the partially corrupted memory of an empty stretch of a sewer. The location data was for an area roughly 3 and a half miles below where they are now, and the time stamp only an hour or so before their death. 9S accessed the static riddled memory before he thought too hard about what he might find.

_"STOP! G-GET AWAY FROM ME!!"_

_The android's voice echoes against the concrete tunnel. 9S can feel their heart thundering in their chest and synthetic adrenaline coursing through their veins. With quaking hands, they aim their assault rifle at..._

_Nothing?_

_The sewer is empty aside from them. The memory shows no other being, no android, machine, not even animals. Yet they're horrified at the sight of something in here._

_"NO! It-...it's not you!! It can't be!! Stay the hell back!!"_

_They open fire into the darkness. The recoil from their firearm combined with their already shaking body throws the bullets wildly off course. 9S winces from how loud the gunshots are, even in a corrupt memory. The bullets harmlessly embed themselves in the concrete, spraying chunks of the stuff as they land. The flash of gunfire illuminates the sewer, but just like before, there's nothing there. 9S closes out the memory as the dead android flees from their imaginary pursuer._

"Find anything?" 2B asks as 9S stands up.

"Not really. Found a memory of them screaming and shooting at nothing but that's it." He responds, dusting off his shorts.

"An invisible enemy?"

"Possibly. I don't like it either way." He mutters, rubbing his chin in thought. "We should stick together and stay on guard."

She nods, "Pod, alert us if you detect movement besides ourselves."

"Affirmative,"

9S instructs his Pod to do the same. If they were dealing with something that had camouflage abilities then they'd have to take every precaution they could. He sticks close to 2B as they descend further into the caves, and to his surprise, she actually follows his lead. He can't help but smile a little bit. She trusts him, at least enough to get them from point A to point B.

A half mile down, they come to a dead end path with a hole blown in the floor. Pod 153 shines its light down to reveal a smooth concrete tunnel with a steady stream of what appears to be water running through it. 9S covers his face when a putrid smell hits him full force.

"Ugh,...I think we found the sewers." He says through his hands.

He's about to ask 2B if she's doing alright, but she's already jumping down the hole by the time he's done talking.

"Hey, 2B! Slow down!" He shouts.

"...Area secure." She says back to him, and motions for him to follow her.

9S mutters something about reckless combat models before jumping after her. The moment he touches down, he becomes painfully aware that this liquid is _not_  water. It's some kind of viscous, off color sludge that sticks to his boots. Between that, the smell, and the air that grows thicker the more they linger, he almost gags.

"Come on," he says, "The trail leads just a little further down."

The sewers made both androids wish for the caves again. The air alone felt like a physical object resisting them, not to mention the liquid of dubious origin they had to trudge through at points. Not counting those factors, 9S felt...uncomfortable. Like there was something crawling under his skin. Occasionally he finds himself scratching at his arms or the back of his neck before he realizes that he's just imagining it. ...Or is he? Shadows seem to shift right in front of his eyes, he trips over debris he could have sworn wasn't there a second ago, and sometimes he thinks he hears an odd sound he can't quite place the source of.

In the middle of one of his scratching fits, he looks back at 2B. She's not doing much better than he is. Her breaths are labored, and she can barely hold her sword up. He can see her trying, and failing, to keep her normal posture.

"Hey, do you need to take a break? We've been going for a few hours now." He asks.

2B shakes her head. Of course she does. "No. No point in prolonging our mission here."

Well, he has to agree with her there. "Yeah, I guess. I don't want to be down here any longer than we have to. This place doesn't feel right."

She's about to respond to him when something catches her eye. Without a word, 2B strides past 9S to another dead android. This one was lying face down in the sludge, naked and mostly decomposed. 2B reaches down to flip them over, and 9S nearly leaps backward at the sight.

They're empty.

A huge hole exists where their abdomen used to be, completely cleaned out of any internal systems, fluids...all of it. They're just a husk.

"God..." is all 9S can say. He's seen a lot of gruesome things in his life, but nothing as...eerie as this. What kind of creature leaves shells of their victims like this?!

"9S...look at their skull." 2B barely whispers.

"....Their eyes. They're gone."

It's not just that. Upon closer inspection, 9S finds that all of their optic systems are gone. Unceremoniously ripped from their head to boot, if the frayed and torn wires are clue enough. As if to add insult to injury, 9S finds multiple other holes bored into the skull for seemingly no other purpose than to see what was inside.

"It looks like...whatever did this started rummaging around in their head after taking the eyes. All their systems are just...scrambled around. I can't make sense of what anything is supposed to be anymore." He muses while examining the dead android.

"I guess hacking into them is out of the question," 2B mutters, gripping the pommel of her sword a bit tighter.

"Yeah. I can't hack into systems that just...aren't there anymore. No memory, no data storage. It's all either irreparably damaged or missing entirely."

She hums a quiet response, then suddenly taps his shoulder. "9S, do you hear that?"

"What?"

He almost misses it. It's a faint, but bone chilling sound. The more he listens to it, the more fear seizes his heart for reasons he can't quite explain. 2B seems to be having the same feeling as well, the way she stares dead ahead though there's nothing but sludge.

It's almost like...a song?

As quick as he places it, it disappears, leaving the androids with an eerie silence.

"...Let's keep going." 9S says, making 2B jump a little at the sudden noise. "The trail ends not too far from here."

The further down the pipe they go, the thicker the air becomes. Simply breathing becomes a taxing chore for both androids, as if there's a crushing pressure on their chests. They're sweating profusely, which only serves to weigh them down further with their clothes clinging to their bodies. A dense fog begins to form, obscuring their vision and rendering the lights from the Pods all but useless.

There are multiple points where 9S puts his foot down and forces 2B to stop and catch her breath. Despite protesting, she complies without hesitation. Both of them start to cough up contaminants that accumulate in her lungs every so often in the form of a sickly beige gel. 9S dreads the hours of maintenance the two of them will have to undergo to clean out their systems of garbage.

They've lost track of time, but after what feels like hours they come to the end of the signal trail. And the end of the sewer system.

"Whoa..." 9S breathes, taking in the sight before him.

All the sewers converge on this one point, dumping their contents into an impossibly huge cesspool. Clouds of steam and gaseous chemicals rise from a lake of fetid liquids, filtering what little sunlight could be seen from the cracked ceiling miles above them. Dead goliaths rise out of the bog like grim spires amongst countless other machine, android, and animal corpses. Refuse, millennia old fluids and festering bodies all intermingle in this defiled pit at the bottom of the world.

Even 2B, impulsive and borderline reckless 2B, hesitates at the edge of the pipe.

"Alert: Target IDs nearby. Proposal, use dynamic scanner program." Pod 153 announces.

9S takes as deep a breath as he can, "Well...let's get this over with." He takes hold of his Pod's claws, "Stay within sight of each other. There could be anything hiding in there."

They jump into the cesspool together, and for a brief moment, 2B clutches 9S' hand before they drift apart from each other. She lands on a somewhat stable sheet of corrugated steel, while 9S lands right in the muck. Sludge splashes against his thighs and settles a little above his knees. The fact that it's warm nearly makes him vomit. The fact that he's standing knee-deep in the dead, does.

He feels 2B's hand on his shoulder while he's in the middle of a coughing fit. If he were more coherent he might have been bashful about it. For now, all he can muster is a quiet "thank you."

"Guh...how are you holding yourself together like this?" He grumbles, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"...Barely. I'm trying not to think about it too much." 2B mutters after a harsh swallow.

Once 9S recovers as much as he can, the two begin searching through the mire for the missing androids. They're never out of sight of each other, and both are constantly throwing glances over their shoulder to make sure nothing drags them away.

2B tries not to let the sight of the thousands of eyeless bodies unnerve her, but even she hasn't seen anything as horrifying as this before. She's a combat veteran, one who's suffered through years of war, done terrible things to the ones she cares about. Yet this scene fills her with a dread that tears through the pits of her stomach. A deep breath calms her shaking body and briefly strengthens her resolve to continue the search.

"Alert: Abnormal movement detected." Pod 042's voice echoes through the pit.

Her head whips to the side just in time to see a set of long tendrils disappear into the muck a good distance away from her. "9S...did you see that?"

"Yeah, I did." He calls back, "Guh, tentacles...Why did it have to be tentacles?"

2B draws her sword and wades towards where she saw the creature disappear. Every movement, even the bursting of a bubble in the muck, earns a response from her. Despite her efforts, the fear of this unknown monster is getting the better of her. They didn't even know how big it was, let alone what it could be capable of.

She begins to hear things; faint whispers in the putrid fog. Though she can't decipher words, she's drawn to them. Something in the back of her head itches as she approaches the last place she saw the fading ripples of the creature. The world warps around her, not in the static she associates with malfunctioning systems, but in waves and shifting planes that threaten to topple her.

There's...someone singing. Who are they? Why are they down here?

"Hey, 2B!"

Her head snaps up at the sound of 9S' voice. Somehow, he made it further in front of her, standing near an open pipe at the edge of the pit. "Over here! I've found another signal trail!"

"Alright. On my way." She calls back to him.

Though it does little in the way of alleviating the dizziness, she shakes her head.  Perhaps it's just reflex at this point. The itching in the back of her head grows more troubling to the point where scratching at it is a primary focus. But looking at 9S...somehow, she has no idea how, it calms the urge.

She has to get out of this god forsaken place soon.

2B follows the sound of his voice and descends further into the bowels of the sewers.

"2B. I found a few of our missing signals, but-"

9S' head whips around, searching for 2B.

"Huh? 2B? Where did-...2B?"

He catches a glimpse of her white hair disappearing down a tunnel at the far side of the pit, nearly half a mile away.

"Wh- hey!!" He fights against the thick sludge trying to run to her. "2B!!"

"Where the hell does she think she's going?!"

                      

* * *

 

2B kicks her boots against the tunnel walls, splattering them with what little sludge will come free from her legs. 9S urges her to hurry up from around a bend in the pipe, and she can't help but note the odd role reversal. Usually, it's her pushing him forward when he just wants a break. There's a twist in her stomach, but she refuses to give it a second thought as she catches up with 9S.

He's always three steps ahead of her, it seems. Every time she rounds a corner to meet him, he'll be down further in the pipe chiding her for being too slow. Every time she thinks she's caught up to him, he's moved impossibly far impossibly fast. She can't even stop to examine the...things she's spotting on the walls. Not between 9S' constant goading and her own desire to get the fuck out of here.

Something inside her head feels...wrong. Pod 042 isn't warning her about potential logic virus corruption, or malfunctioning systems. In fact, Pod 042 hasn't been saying much of anything since she left the pit. The only thing she can really hear besides 9S calling out to her is this quiet ringing. It makes her stomach churn when she focuses on it.

"2B! Come on it's just down-...GAH!!"

Her heart drops when she sees 9S' legs fly out from under him and his body fall down a gap in the tunnel floor. She doesn't even shout his name, she only allows herself a sharp intake of breath before charging after him and jumping down the hole without hesitation.

She neglects to grab onto Pod 042's claws to slow her fall, she didn't think she had to at first. From the top, it only seemed like a ten-foot drop, but she falls for what seems like an impossibly long time. The world stretches out around her, the features of the cave walls grow blurry. The itching in the back of her head grows in intensity until it's she has to fight the urge to rip out her hair while falling. She hears a droning noise that's similar to her Pod's voice over the rushing of wind, but can't understand what it's trying to tell her. Her vision grows dark with abyssal static, her body forcing itself into preservation mode the moment before she hits the ground.

.....

....

"...be!!"

"2B wake-...."

"2B please wake up!!"

She doesn't undergo the preservation mode rebooting process like she expects. Instead, she awakens to 9S straddling her hips and shaking her shoulders. The moment she opens her eyes, he pulls her into a tight hug and buries his face into her shoulder.

"Oh, 2B! You're okay!" He sobs.

She idly rubs his back, despite the confusion. "I'm alright."

9S has been touchy before, but this is pushing it even for him. Not that she's complaining about it. It feels...nice.

_This...something's not right..._

Once his sobs quiet, he reciprocates her touches with his own. His fingers ghost around the open back of her shirt, tracing the outlines of her synthetic muscles.

_No, this feels wrong. Something's very wrong._

2B doesn't move, she sits there with 9S in her lap taking in the bizarrely intoxicating feeling of his fingers grazing her skin. She lets out a quiet sigh and leans into his touch. She never realized just how...warm he is

_This isn't right, you need to move. Now._

"Mm....2B." He moans in her ear. His breath against her sensitive flesh causes a shiver to run down her spine. The hand that isn't on her back starts to creep up her leg, inching its way past her skirt.

"9S what-..."

_No. No this isn't right._

The hand on her leg mirrors the one on her back, tracing the muscles in her thighs. She doesn't want to move, but she pulls herself back from his embrace. It's only now that she notices his visor is missing. With this clear view of his half lidded eyes, she can see the dark lust contained within them.

_This is wrong. He doesn't...he's not like this..._

9S shifts himself in her lap, and she feels his erection press against her leg. Her breath catches in her throat as a slurry of conflicting emotions threatens to overload her systems.

_Something's wrong! He's not like this! You need to get out of here!_

When she makes no move to touch him, he takes the initiative and starts rubbing himself through his shorts. He breathes a lewd moan into her ear as he grinds against his hand and her lap. She grits her teeth together, fighting back any reaction that threatens to break her resolve. His free hand runs up and down her shoulders, neck, and face. His finger hooks underneath her visor and pulls it off of her face, letting it sit around her neck.

_This is wrong!!_

2B can't move to stop him once he begins undressing, nor can she find the proper words to protest. She sits rigid and stiff as he moans her name while stroking himself. Her eyes roam up and down his lithe body, admiring the subtle muscles in his chest and legs. A dull ache works its way through her whole lower body. She wants to touch him, to hold him, but the battle within herself keeps her locked in place.

_Wrong!!_

His tongue hangs lewdly out of the side of his mouth, breath irregular, and hips rocking back and forth.

"2B...fuck me...please.."

She knows it's wrong. She knows full well the risks and repercussions of giving into...whatever is happening right now.

_Wrong!!_

But fuck it.

**_WRONG!!_ **

She wants this.

**_/STOP!!/_ **

She always has.

                      

* * *

 

"Report: Black Box signal for unit 2B located. Marking on map."

9S didn't take the time to clean the gunk off of his legs. "...How could she get that far in such a short time?!"

His mind reels at the increasingly terrifying possibilities that his mind conjures. According to Pod 153, she had made it another half mile down before stopping where she is now, which means that either she started chasing something, or was grabbed. In the past she at least lets him know when she's about to charge after something. It's not like her to up and abandon him.  So that leaves the latter.

...He has to hurry.

There's a point where the concrete pipes end, and a hastily carved out tunnel begins. The earth is scarred with irregular fractures, scorched stone, and bizarre claw marks. Something had bored its way through the bedrock itself to make its home here, and at this point, 9S wasn't sure if it was machine, animal, or some unholy hybrid of both. The streaks of blood and oil, or what he assumed to be blood and oil, pushed his already rising pulse rate further into dangerous territory. He was alone, save for his Pod, in an uncharted labyrinth that houses an unidentifiable creature that does horrible things to its victims.

If it wasn't 2B, he would have turned tail and ran long ago.

The faint echo of a wet, thick, scraping noise makes him stop dead in his tracks. He had not once encountered anything alive down here, but what he finds makes him wish it had stayed that way. A lone machine props its legless body up with one thin arm, and frantically scrapes and claws at a pool of mud and android parts with the other. Sparks fly out of where it's lower body would be, and out of the empty sockets that once held its eyes. Wires jut out from several holes bored into its head, which also occasionally give off sparks.

"Has someone...anyone...seen my eyes...?" It groans, "I'm afraid I've dropped them in a puddle..."

There's nothing resembling eyes in the pile of gore and mud the machine is searching through, though 9S doesn't look at for very long. He grants the suffering machine a quick end with Cruel Oath, before pressing onwards.

_Don't think about it don't think about it. Just focus on finding 2B and don't think about it._

He tries his best to ignore the growing number of eyeless machines, and empty androids as he progresses. He tries his best to swallow the bile rising in his throat as he passes their bodies arranged in bizarre symbols. He shields his eyes from the symbols carved into the tunnel walls that make his teeth itch when he looks at them.

He can't help but stare in horror when Pod locates the rest of the missing androids.

"Alert: Missing Yorha rescue teams found. Marking location for body recovery."

They were here all right, what was left of them. Stripped of skin, skulls empty shells, and bodies strung up to a wall over a crude altar. Each one was manipulated in the same pose; one arm straight in the air, the other held out to the side. They surround a large carving of a rough star with a rudimentary depiction of an eye in the middle.

As he stares transfixed by this macabre display, 9S begins to hear the singing he thought he heard before. It's closer, louder this time; like it's being broadcast directly into his head. A distorted female voice sings a wordless lullaby that drags his heart to the ground. His shoulders slump, knees weaken, and breathing slows as he fights the urge to curl up in the mud and fall asleep. The song grows louder as 9S' body weakens.

It's melodic.

It's dissonant.

It makes him feel warm.

It fills him with unknowable dread.

It's beautiful.

It's horrific.

It should not exist.

The volume grows to the point where it causes 9S actual pain. He claws at his head, trying to make the pain stop somehow. Pod 153 drones a message that sounds like harsh static to him.

9S feels something crawl up the back of his neck and prod at the lowest point of his skull. It's only when he feels the skin give way, and the object slips underneath that he snaps out of his trance. Cruel Oath materializes in his hand when he whirls around to face his attacked, slicing through the mechanical tendril that had been probing his neck.

The monster towers above 9S, it's hundreds of glowing yellow eyes all focused on him. Its face is that of a normal machine life form, round and featureless aside from the eyes. Its body is where it deviates from its brethren. A mane of writhing tendrils sprout from the open back of its head and curl around a primitive rib cage made of jagged strips of metal. A thin, disturbingly flexible spine flows as its head twist and turns in hypnotic rhythms. It's disproportionately long arms reach out to him, cupping his face with thin claws. It gurgles unintelligible phrases while countless yellow eyes bore into 9S' mind.

It's tendrils begin to uncoil from around its rib cage to creep up his face. They prodded his skin, slick with a cold sweat, looking for a weak point to break through. There's a figure being held in its open chest by a few tentacles. The skin of their face bulges where tendrils writhe just below the surface. Stormy blue eyes partially obscured by white hair stare back at him, begging for help as a tendril forces its way into the tear duct. Their black skirt-

"2B!!"

9S snaps out of his fearful trance and wildly slashes at the machine's face. A few tentacles are severed as it leaps backward, screeching an unholy sound in pain and fury. It abandons 2B's body on the floor in a heap as it puts more space between itself and 9S.

He grabs 2B by her arms and drags her further away from the machine creature, propping her up against the tunnel walls. "Come on come on...wake up 2B.."

"Nine-...9S?" She groans, regaining her senses after whatever it was that monster did to her. "What...where are-"

"Okay, good." He interrupts with a sigh of relief. "Stay here."

9S stares down the machine monster, sword in hand and Pod at his side. His heart is thundering in his chest, and the roar of blood in his ears drowns out the shrieking monster and the horrible song it creates. The combat high sets in, replacing his fear with exhilaration.

So this is what 2B feels like when she fights.

The creature lunges forward with several claw swipes. Most of them miss as 9S dodges backward, but two slash through his coat and another grazes his face. He counters with a few well-placed swings of his own, severing components in its arms as well as several tendrils. It grabs for 9S' head, but he skids through its legs and slashes at its feet. Sparks fly as the machine tries to right itself and 9S takes the opening to attack the back of its head directly.

He unleashes a hacking barrage, but the moment he breaks through the initial defenses a horrid distorted wail rips through his systems. The sound rips through his body like a physical object as he holds back cries of terror.

"̧͙͍̳͎W̷̻̮͕̩E̡̳̼̣ ̹̦͓A͙͔̺Ṛ̺͜E̢̦̜̪͉͙̦̗ ̬̭͈̮B͕̥͙͜O̱̞͖̬̭͔̲R̯̪͈͝-͏͖.͖̪̯̖͝.̻̻.̨̼ͅ  
̢̟̟͖̼͕̻ͅ ̶̺̜͈̞͙̬ ͍ ̳̲̹̩̦̣͝ ̲̻̟̺̠̫ ̖͢ ̵͉̝  
 ̢͙͚̝                                                           ̻̻̩ ̬̩̙͞ ̳͎͚̰̥ͅ ̠̟̮̻̬ ͔̻͔͎̤̤͓͘ ͎͙̺͇ ҉̗̲̠͕̳̣ ̸ ͍͔̪͝ͅ ̝͖̻.̩̣̕.͚͖̳̱̫̘.̯̼̗̼͚̫͉-͉̗͕͉̗͓͠A̦͎͓̣̟D͉͉̯̠̮E͍̻͕̭̯͎ ͚̮͠M͓͝E҉N̨̙͙͚ ̥͕ͅB̴̹̙̱̻͖Y̝̘̭͘-̙̯̼͡ͅ..̜̰͖͚.͏̖̳͍̭̣̼  
͏̩͓̘͕  
̤̥̘ͅ                     ̟̭͉̫̮ ͙͈͍͙ ̝̫̩̱̬͎ ̣̼̩̜͜ ̶̰̟̤͕̘̩ ̤̭̭̙ ̼̮̻͓͉ ͖͍͓̖̲͔̥ ̙̲̝̼͡ ͚̤͕͔ ̜̟͉̺̰ ̡͈̗ ͢ ͉̟̹͍̭̱͓͘.̜.͘.-̝̥̮̼̹̬͖O͍̲͇̰N͈̤͍͙E̛ ͎̱͎͙̮̗͈B̨͉̦̙͍Y̤͇̼̟̠ ̡̬T͖̳̥͈ͅH̘̼̭E̻͔̠̙͡ ̛̯͚B̮̪͍̲͙͠L̹

             
       ̰̲̥̪͚ͩ̂̾̈́̚  
҉̠̬͍͚͇̜̩.̲̥̬̔̇̒͒.͎͉̣̺͕̱̻ͣ͑.̷͕̣̮̄̐ͭͪͯ̃͗.̛͑̌̽O͈͙̳̜̎̓̍̊͢Ụ̧͚͓̠̩̦̅̍̊̋R͐͠ ̴͓̠̳͑̾ͭ̌̽̌E̼̳͓͔͎͞Y̭̲͠-̵͈̝͔̼̈́̄͌.̡͓̺̙ͣͤ́͂̆.̴̄͗ͤ̑͑̈.̨ͧ͂̃ͩͬ.̢̊͂-̞̗̒ͨ͑̀ͩ̚̚Ỏ̬̟̹͉͉̲͔̑̓̆̒͠P͕E̸̞N̗͇̱̣͗  
                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                       ̸̵͑̋̀̍ͬ̎͐̒ͣ͆̕ ̽̎̇ͭ͊̑̾̏ͧ̒ͨ̃ͣͧ̎ͤͥ̃̑͢҉ ̶ͭͩ̉ͪͨ̂̋̎͢͜F̶̛ͣ̄ͯ̾ͥ̕E̵̵̸̛̽ͮ͐͐ͦ́̊Aͪͦ̈͊͆͒̐ͭͥ͊̍̔͂ͮ͋̃̎̕͟͟͠Ŗ̂ͯ̍ͥ̈́ͣͫ͢ ̸̶̛ͦͯͩͮ͌ͭ̑̿̅ͪ͒̿̚T̡̛̛͐ͧ̊͗ͩ͑͆ͦ̒͑͊̿ͧͪ̃̑̊ͣ̓͞H̨̛̆̐ͤͫͭͥ̓̓͌̒ͦ̏ͩ̈͠E̷͑̑͒ͮ͛͋ͬ̚ ͐́ͬͦ́̋ͥͧͭ̈́̊̿̂͋̄ͦ͢͡Ơ̵̶̛̆̃̔̍͋̂̀L̶̨͐͗̾̍ͫͥͨ͟D̷̨̛̿ͣ̈͑̂͌ͨ̆̋̽͛͒ͨ̿̓ͯ̈́͟-̶͛̏͊ͯͭͨ͌̏̓̉̅͑̔̊.͌͊͑̆̑̍ͧ̔͏̴̵̡.͋ͤ̆͌͟.̸̛ͨͫͣ͋̿̿ͤͭ̓̔̏ͣ̏ͫ̓̓̇͂͜.̿ͪ͆̐́͘̕͘͜-̴̊̑̎͆ͯ̓̾͢͠Dͯ̍ͣ̎͛͗̕͢͡͏.̸̢̛̀̾̉̈́́ͯͨ̅̇̃ͭ̾ͫ͑̌̅"̴͗ͭ͗̓̽̎͋͗̉ͥ̎ͭ̽/̸̵̡̄ͫ̎͂͂̈́ͤͧ̃̎ͦ̾͠

It's mane of tentacles shoot out and snag 9S' ankles while he's stunned, yanking his feet out from under him. His head cracks against the stone, and before he can react the creature is slamming his body against the tunnel walls like a rag doll. It throws him to the ground and pins it's clawed foot against his chest as tendrils wrap around his neck. 9S' finger scrape and grab at the mess of wires and machinery, but it's a futile endeavor as he feels his throat begin to collapse on itself. Each second its grip tightens, constricting the life out of his body-

A flash of white tears through the tendrils crushing his neck and another cleaves the machine's spine in two. The creature lets out a series of guttural shrieks before collapsing to the ground beside 9S. 2B stands above him, breathing heavily with sword in hand.

With the help of Pod 153, 9S tears the still writhing tendrils from around his throat, all while gasping for air.

"Th-thanks for the assist..." he sputters, throwing the last of the tentacles as far as he can.

2B gives him a curt nod but refuses to look at him. He notices just how red her face is, the rigidness of her stance, and the thin coat of sweat that covers her skin.

"...You okay?" She helps him up, but won't make physical contact longer than necessary. Once he's on his feet she backs a few feet away from him.

"Yeah, nothing too serious I think." 9S sniffles a bit and wipes the blood dripping from his nose with the back of his hand. "I've had worse... probably. What about you? What did that thing do to you?"

2B's hands curl into fists, "...I think it altered my sensory processors. Made me...hear things, see things, that weren't there."

"Alert: Unit 2B was seized by an unknown enemy and place in an uncontrolled state." Pod 042 announces, "Proposal: Return to the Resistance Camp to perform a full data overhaul and repairs immediately. There is a high probability of corruption by enemy logic virus."

9S fights the burning curiosity raging through his head. What was this machine lifeform? Why did it desecrate its victims like it did? What was the purpose of the altar? What did it make 2B see and how did it do that?

Why was 2B avoiding his touch and refusing to look at him?

He shook his head. This was neither the time nor the place to be thinking about any of that.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

                     

* * *

 

 

**UNIT DATA OBTAINED: WILLEM**

                      

* * *

 


	2. No Better than Beasts

"2B, can you hear me?"

**[Yes 9S, I can hear you.]**

"Good," He shifts into a more comfortable position in his chair. "I'm starting the data overhaul process now. I'll be reviewing your memories from the last mission for any abnormalities and compiling combat data on the aberrant machine. I'll also be searching for any signs of viral contaminants."

**[That formal tone doesn't suit you, 9S.]**

She does this every time he's performing maintenance on her. The place she teases him is when she's at her most vulnerable and it baffles 9S. What is about being immobilized brings out her playful side?

"Er-...Anyway, let me know if there's something that feels off so I can check it out, okay?"

**[Got it.]**

It had been just a couple of days since they returned from their mission and all of that had been spent in the Resistance camp med bay. Their admittedly superficial injuries were healed without much problem, but cleaning all the sludge and other contaminants out of their bodies took longer than expected and was draining on all parties involved. When it was all done both androids felt several pounds lighter and the resistance had piles of chemical gunk that they had to dispose of.

9S had gone through his data overhaul on his down time. There wasn't much he could learn besides he already suspected. The machine in the depths had a fixation on eyes, the ability to cause auditory and visual hallucinations, and seemed to cannibalize its fellow machines for both its body and its ocular fascination. Not to mention the symbols or the cryptic message that was forced into his head when he tried to hack the thing.

Then there was 2B and how...odd she had been acting around him. She was both touchier than normal and cold as ice. Her hands would linger on him for a second longer than normal, or she'd -and he hesitates to call it this- flirt with him, and then avoid him for hours only to repeat the process again. The emotional whiplash hurts almost as much as real whiplash.

It'd be obvious to him even if he wasn't built to pick up on these little hints that something happened to her down in the tunnels. The conclusion he came to was that she experienced some form of hallucination while in the clutches of that bizarre machine.

And that it had something to do with him.

That's part of the reason he insisted on doing 2B's data overhaul himself, rather than let her take care of it on her own or, god forbid, have someone else do it. 9S wanted answers, and 2B is not the sort of person who would tell him what's going through her head. Especially when it relates to him.

She's just...like that.

It's incredibly frustrating.

He supposes he should feel at least a little guilty for having ulterior motives,  but his heart is in the right place. All he wants to do is help 2B through whatever's been bothering her. That makes up for the fact that he's rummaging around in her memories, right?

.....Probably not.

Still, it wasn't like 2B asked him to stop. She could have told him no multiple times, but never did. Hell at one point she seemed to encourage it. Was she simply more comfortable with him doing this? Or did she want him to see something and not have the strength to just tell him?

....Why do women have to be so complicated?

9S sighs to himself. Better get this over with so he could get to the _wonderful_ one-sided conversation with 2B that awaited him afterward.

Step one was checking 2B's main systems. The initial diagnostics came up green, but he performs a thorough check regardless. Whatever damage to her sensory processors she took from that machine must have been superficial as well. Aural sensors are fine. Visual sensors are fine. Tactile sensors are...a bit worse for wear but fine regardless of that. It's an easy fix, even if it's one he doesn't need to do. Central nervous system is running smoothly. Logic and thought systems are-...They're fine but 2B's really uneasy about something. He moves on and checks her motor systems before he gets too curious.

"Okay, main systems checks complete. I'm gonna take a look at your memories of the last mission now."

**[...Alright.]**

9S dives into the first memory fitting the requirements he can find. There's nothing really interesting in this one, it's only them walking through the first bit of the cave system. No signs of anything weird, so he moves on.

He decides to focus on finding memories that showed signs of abnormality to speed things up a little bit. There were hours of memory to go through, and not everything was worth looking at. The next one he accesses is the first one with some glitches associated with it. When the memory playback begins 9S is immediately assaulted by the stench of the sewers, but there's something else there as well.

While he had only been hearing subtle things that could be easily missed, 2B had been suffering from auditory hallucinations since they first entered the sewers that grew in intensity, from the faintest of ringing to a cacophony of tearing metal and machinery. How she held it together all that time was beyond 9S. He can't stomach those... _sounds_ for more than a couple seconds. The glitches and corruption are taken care of in record time.

The memories past this point are covered in both visual glitches and a sick web of digital tar. Even though this is in memory space and therefore incorporeal, 9S' body begins to feel sticky. He idly picks at his arm to at least attempt to disperse the sensation. Luckily the bizarre gunk is easily cleared away with some simple coding tricks, though each time he cleans off a memory chunk there's a faint yet sinister noise. It sounds like machine language but doesn't translate to anything resembling coherent words. Only fragments and nonsense that don't fit together in the slightest.

When 9S reaches the portion of 2B's memories that involve that god forsaken pit of bodies, he not only has to clear away the black goo, but also strange white thorns that just from the sludge in irregular patterns. They almost look like...teeth? Each time he comes into contact with one a slight shudder runs through his body. Once he clears the external corruption he accesses the memory to scrub out any lingering abnormalities. But upon entering, his breath catches in his throat.

Through 2B's eyes, he sees...himself? But not himself?

It's a perversion of himself; a sharper face, broader shoulders and chest, and a bit more confidence in his stride. It calls to her and she follows without question. It leads her down the tunnel after tunnel, beckoning her with his stolen image and voice. It emits the same sweet, twisted lullaby that sundered his mind, and she still follows it.

Is this what she saw him as? Or what she wanted him to be...

9S' stomach drops as the image of himself glitches and shifts into something more predatory. It flashes between 2B's ideal and a lanky, twisted monster wearing his face. The reason for analyzing her memories is long forgotten as he watches the hallucination crawl on top of her lap and starts...

What the hell...

The shifting monster starts touching itself, whispering and moaning into 2B's ear, and she does nothing. In fact, she seems to enjoy it. 9S can feel the dark urges roil within her, clashing with the dread that screams at her to stop.

_2B...fuck me...please..._

9S' jaw drops. The playback continues, and he feels 2B's resolve crumble. She-...

....oh god-

He can't form words or coherent thoughts on what he sees 2B do with the hallucination. Her ferocity, desperation, the wild primal lust that runs hot in her veins...

She's terrifying...

She's...

Only two thoughts break through 9S' dazed awe.

_Oh my god...she wants to fuck me...._

.....

_Oh my god, I want to fuck her._

He doesn't recall finishing up the overhaul, or even exiting her memory space. He doesn't remember when he stood up and backed himself into a corner of the small resistance room, or when the uncomfortable feeling in his lower body started to become painful. His hand covers his mouth, his face burns, and his body reverts to an unconscious fight or flight state as 2B sits up and looks him dead in the eyes.

"9S." She says without a hint of emotion in her voice.

"I-..." He stammers clutches at the collar of his shirt, "2B I don't-...I'm sorry I shouldn't have watched that-..!"

2B rises to her feet and closes the distance between them. Her visor lies on the bedside table; she wanted him to see the resolve in her eyes. She wanted him to know how she felt, regardless of if she'd be able to properly convey it with words. A foot of distance remains between them, but she can feel 9S' hot panicked breath ghost across her face. He's afraid of her, at least part of him is. There's another part of him that very overtly wants the same thing she does.

She reaches out to him and pulls down his visor with one finger, letting the fabric fall around his neck. "9S."

"...Yeah?" His face is flushed red and his eyes dart around her face, picking up the subtle nuances of her expression.

2B shuts her eyes for a moment to go over what she had been rehearsing in her mind for the past few days. "...If I didn't want you to see that, I would have stopped you."

He blinks as he puts the pieces together, "You...2B, I-..." His eyes refuse to make contact with hers. "I didn't think you...had those kinds of thoughts. Especially ones so...I don't want to say exploitable but-..."

There's a moment where she smiles, just a little. "I'm surprised you weren't affected as well." She quickly glances down at the awkward way he's standing with his legs crossed over one another.

"I don't know why I wasn't..." There's a hint of a laugh in his voice, "I'm definitely...I'm not any better."

A long moment of silence passes between them. 2B holds his gaze, while 9S tries desperately to avoid eye contact. Eventually, she gets frustrated and holds his chin in her hand so that he can't look away. His eyes widen and he briefly struggles against her grip before realizing that it would be a losing battle.

"9S. Do you want to do this with me." Her tone is stern, but a slight waver in her voice betrays her own uncertainty.

"Of course. Of course, I do." He seems afraid of the confidence in his own voice, but the nervousness returns with a breathy laugh, "Heh, I thought emotions were prohibited, though."

A smirk spreads across her face, "Emotions are prohibited. Actions are not. Sexual tension can have a negative impact on mission efficacy, so it is logical that it is taken care of as soon as possible."

9S stares at her, then a small sputtering giggle escapes him and evolves into riotous laughter. He doubles over, clutching his stomach and fighting back tears. 2B takes a step back and raises an eyebrow at his sudden outburst. She can't help but feel a little hurt.

"I- I'm sorry but..." he says after his hysterics subside, "That's just-...It's just so...you! I can't help myself!"

2B almost falls victim to his contagious laughter, but she maintains a glare through sheer willpower. "I'm serious."

"I know you are." 9S puts his hands up and smiles apologetically, "So it's just...just to get rid of the tension?"

She nods slowly. That's how she rationalizes it. There's nothing between them, all this is going to be is relief of pressure. No feeling, no underlying emotions. Just fucking so the carnal memories will stop plaguing her mind.

That's what she tells herself, anyway.

9S wrings his hands together, "So....how do you go about...starting something like this-"

He's cut off by 2B slamming him against the wall and immediately crushing her lips against his. Her fist curls around his coat collar, holding him in place until he starts shoving her back and gasping for air.

"W-wait a second! Slow down, 2B!"

The terror in 9S' eyes returns. She backs off of him a little, her breath heavy and heart pounding audibly in her chest. "Is there something wrong? Do you not-"

"No, I do! But I can't just..switch gears and jump into things like you can." He sighs, letting his arms fall to his sides. "Can we...can we take it slow? Please."

His pleading eyes meet with hers. Something forces back the primitive lust in her expression as she shuts her eyes for a brief moment. When she opens them again, they're surprisingly gentle. At least on the surface. Just beneath, she's trying to restrain an untamed beast that wants nothing more than to rip the clothes from their bodies and take him for herself.

"Sure," 2B says, and smiles at him. A genuine smile that almost knocks the breath from his lungs. "Lead the way."

9S reaches up and cups her face in his hand. There's so much information that he gains from just a simple touch it almost overwhelms him. She's soft at first but as he starts to stroke her cheek with his thumb he feels the roughness of her skin from years of exposure to the elements. His fingers run across the faint seams on her neck and shoulders where new skin had been grafted on after a battle he didn't recall. Her breath ghosts across his thumb as he traces the shape of her lips.

A harsh sigh from 2B earns a small chuckle from 9S. The restraint she's showing in light of his request is admirable in a way. He sees the sexual monster within her clawing at her resolve to let him take his time. But...what if he were to prod that monster? Just a little...

How long will her restraint hold?

9S pulls her into a deceptively innocent kiss, a distraction. His hands slide down her neck and shoulders. One comes to rest on her arm, the other creeps down to the small of her back and pulls her closer to him. 2B's fingers run through his hair then stop and dig into his scalp just a little when he nips at her bottom lip. She returns the favor, and 9S feels a delicious shiver run down his spine, so he bites again with just a bit more force.

9S' breath hitches in his chest when he feels her tongue slip past his lips and follows the grooves of his teeth. He opens his own mouth just enough so that he can meet her tongue with his, but the moment he does 2B all but shoves her tongue down his throat. She backs off when she hears him gasp, but 9S pulls her right back in without even stopping to catch his breath. He hadn't realized he had been dragging them backward until his back hits the concrete wall.

There's a brief moment where 2B breaks their kiss to fumble with the buttons of 9S' jacket. It's funny to him, watching this advanced combat android who could bend steel like rubber have trouble with something as simple as buttons. Though, the moment even the hint of a giggle leaves him, 2B huffs and rips the velvet coat from his body. She tosses the ruined lump of fabrics as far away as she can, while 9S tries and fails to hold back laughter.

"Have a bit of trouble?"

"Shut. Up."

2B grabs his hands in one of hers and pins them above his head. 9S expects her to lock him in another heated kiss, and she does. Only for a moment. With one last teasing stroke of her tongue, her mouth leaves his and kisses the little trail of drool on the corner of his lips. She trails light kisses down his face and neck until she comes to a spot just above his shoulder that causes him to tense up when she makes contact with it. A smirk creeps across her face as she feels him squirm against her grip and body while she licks and gently sucks on that one spot. When her teeth ever so slightly tug at that one bit of skin, 9S makes this unintentional mewling gasp that drives 2B mad. She does it again and again, worrying the flesh between her teeth and only stopping to lick the spot every so often.

Each time 9S makes that sound, she leans into him more and more until her knee is right underneath his crotch. 2B can feel his erection straining against his shorts as he tries to grind on her leg, but with his arms restrained there isn't much he can do. Her grip on his hands tightens when he struggles, and she breaks away from working his neck to take in the way his face twists in pleasure and frustration.

9S begins to regret his request to take things slow because /fuck/ it's like she knows exactly what buttons to push to drive him up the wall. 2B turned him to mush in her grip over the course of a few minutes of kissing and biting. Damn it, he doesn't want to be this quivering mess wrapped around her finger. He wants to hear her say his name in a breathless whisper, to shudder and moan when he touches her.

"Come on, 2B..." he breathes once he regains himself, "This isn't fair..."

As if to mock him, she rubs her leg against his crotch, "And what do you plan to do about that." Her free hand lifts up his undershirt to drag her nails lightly across his stomach, biting the inside of her lip when she feels him shiver in response.

9S struggles just enough so that 2B tightens her grip, then lifts up one of his legs to rub it between her legs. The sudden friction catches her off guard and in the split second where her grip loosens, 9S frees his hands. He pulls her into an intense kiss, forcing his tongue into her mouth the moment he gets the opportunity. A sound that's one part moan and two parts growl rumbles in the back of 2B's throat while their tongues explore every corner of their mouths. 9S gets to work undoing the hidden buttons and zippers on her shirt with much more success than she had with on his coat. The moment 2B's velvet shirt is loose, he breaks their kiss to pull it off and toss it aside.

With a knowing grin, 2B removes her gloves on her own while 9S stares awestruck at her. They've both seen each other at least partially naked before, but this is the first time he's seen her in an explicitly sexual situation. The way her hips tilt to one side, the dark, teasing glint in her eyes...He doesn't realize she's peeling his undershirt off until she pulls it over his head. The cool air suddenly hitting his bare chest makes him shiver, but he barely registers it. He's...transfixed by her.

9S reaches out to touch her, ignoring the odd look she gives him. His fingers barely brush her skin as he follows the firm outlines of the muscles in her shoulder and neck, then her biceps. 2B just stares at him, moving her arms as he examines them. Normally she finds his expressions difficult to read, but this time it's almost painfully obvious. His face is one of reverence, as if he's holding a priceless artifact. Adoration.

2B...doesn't know what to do.

He moves from her arms to her chest, purposefully avoiding her breasts and instead of feeling the firm muscles in her sides, then her stomach. There's a little bit of softness in her hips and abdomen that catches him by surprise. He kneels down, glancing briefly up at 2B before pulling her skirt off of her. She takes the initiative and peels off her boots, tights, and leotard in quick succession, leaving her completely naked.

"Aw, hey." 9S pouts from beneath her, "I wanted to do that."

"If I didn't speed this up we'd be here all week." She says, crossing her arms over her bare chest.

"Sorry...I just..." He pauses, then shakes away whatever thought was in his head, "I got distracted. But...I can make up for it."

2B laughs at the wry smile he gives her, "Oh yeah?"

9S rises to his feet, the fact that they're nearly the same height surprises him for a second. Their lips meet much too briefly for 2B, but when he starts leaving a trail of kisses and nips down her neck and shoulders, she holds back any complaint she may have had. He follows a similar pattern that he did with his hands, leaving small bites along her biceps, then her chest.

This time he doesn't avoid her breasts, and the moment his lips graze the sensitive flesh, he hears her breath catch in her throat. He takes a quick look up to see her face bright red and jaw clenched to prevent any sound from escaping. With a quick smile, he kisses everywhere except her nipple, occasionally tugging at her flesh with his teeth. One of his hands massages the breast that isn't being lavished with his mouth. There's a low rumble in her chest when either his tongue or fingers come close to a nipple, something between a purr and a growl. He continues to kiss, suck, and nip until 2B's hands drift from his back to the hem of his boxers. The urge to rut up against her naked body is suppressed only by his curiosity.

2B takes a moment to give his ass a quick squeeze, and much to her amusement 9S makes a soft squeak and turns an adorable shade of red. Her thumbs hook the inside of his boxers and she pulls down on them just enough so that he can shuffle them off on his own. He does the same to his long socks and boots, and casts them aside to the pile of discarded clothing.

9S doesn't even take a moment to be embarrassed or nervous, he resumes his work on 2B's breasts with more fervor than before. It's enough to push 2B off balance, forcing her to take several steps back until her legs hit the long forgotten bed. She falls, and pulls 9S with her. Once he rights himself, he teases her breasts with his mouth once again while rubbing his hips against hers. She pushes her own hips up, breathing heavily and trying to suppress moans that match 9S'.

9S trails hungry bites and kisses from her breasts, to her collarbone, to her shoulders, and then finally to her neck. He slides up her body, the tip his cock just barely touching while he turns his attention to her neck. It's when he presses his mouth against the spot where her chin meets her neck that he stops.

Something snaps within him. A creature emerging from the depths of his mind stops the foreplay. He gently puts his mouth around her jugular. A sexual monster claws to the surface of his mind and replays everything that 2B did to the hallucination of himself. Her position is explicitly vulnerable, his dominant, and there's something about feeling the rapid thundering of her blood against his teeth that unlocks the primal urge to fuck her till neither of them can function.

2B pushes his head up with her hand, forcing him to look her in the eye. He sees the same dark hunger that clouded the eyes of the hallucination, and it becomes obvious to him that he is no longer in control.

Before 9S has the chance to act, she flips them over too fast for him to comprehend. He can't even catch his breath before her searing lips crush against his again. This isn't like before, it's so much more fervent...wild. It's only when she takes his cock in her hand does he break away to moan and gasp for air. He tilts his head up to see her adjust herself above him, deciding on an angle.

2B leans over him, pushing his head back down onto the bed. Fear bubbles in his chest for a moment when he confuses her eyes with the eyes of a beast, but the soft smile she gives him quells that fear. If only a little. She smooths a hand through his hair in an unexpected display of tenderness, before lowering herself down onto his cock.

Just that alone, her crushing wet walls languidly sliding down his dick, almost sends him over the edge. If he wasn't being held down by 2B, he'd be pushing his hips up as much as he could. But control had been violently torn from his grip, and she was going to make sure he was painfully aware of that fact. She raises herself up, almost pulling herself off of his cock, then nearly slams herself back down. 9S tries to suppress the pathetic moans that escape him between breaths, but each time she grinds down on him his attempts end in failure.

Once 2B finds a rhythm that suits her, she picks up her pace. 9S pushes his own hips up into her, though without much success. Each time he tries to meet her, he gets shoved back down. The sounds she makes are a bizarre and intoxicating cross between moans and snarls, in stark comparison to his breathy squeaks. She rides his cock like she owns it, and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it.

2B is a creature of violence, that much is clear from how aggressive she is in bed. She knows what she wants, which is him, and she will sunder armies to get it. Still, beneath the carnal lust and the thirst for blood, there's a gross misunderstanding of emotions and what they mean. She isn't built to. She wasn't taught to. She only understands the physical.

Maybe that's why 9S sees the love in her expression.

2B's grinding reaches a fever pitch and she loses a bit of her control on 9S. He takes the opportunity to sit up and pull her into a sloppy half kiss. Neither of them can hold it for very long between their moans and heavy breathing and they quickly loose interest in trying to lock lips. 2B bites at his neck once again, leaving deep purple bruises that mark him as hers each time his cock hits a sweet spot inside her. 9S' nails leave long red trails that ooze blood, claiming her as his own as his vision blurs.

Really, they're no better than beasts.

An intense pressure coils in his gut, and he can assume a similar thing is happening to 2B with the way her voice reaches new enticing octaves. 9S' hands grab onto her hips and uses that as leverage to thrust deeper inside her, while 2B holds onto him for dear life and rides him just as violently. It becomes increasingly hard to tell who's fucking who.

"Two-...2B..." he breathes, "I-"

"Stop-" she allows herself a loud moan that interrupts what she was going to say. "Don't...talk...Nine-...s"

He wants to revel in the fact that she finally called him Nines, but the hot pressure in his gut all unwinds all at once with one powerful thrust of his hips. 9S buries his face in 2B's breasts as he comes, a fast and violent mess that he feels run down his legs along with her fluids. She throws her head back in a silent scream while she desperately grinds out her own orgasm on top of him.

Once their bodies slow to a crawl, the strength to even hold themselves up fades with the ecstasy and they collapse on top of each other. 9S can barely breathe under 2B's weight, but he doesn't care. His mind is reeling, head spinning, vision blurring, a sickening array of emotions rising like bile in his throat. He can't keep them down...not with his mind scrambled like this.

2B gently kisses the side of his head and runs her hands through his sweaty hair. She feels as if an enormous weight has lifted from her chest. The tension between them is gone, nothing complex between them other than simple physical attraction. Lust is easy for her to understand. It has a simple solution, and this was as simple as it gets.

"I love you...2B..."

......

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 3+ years I've written smut again. Apologies for mistakes n such but I gotta admit I'm a bit rust at this. Peer pressure's a hell of a thing
> 
> Y'all know who you are.

**Author's Note:**

> Lets play: How many fucking Bloodborne refs can Tank throw in before it gets weird


End file.
